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Rigorous Testing Readies BMW Team RLL for Circuit of the Americas

Wed Sep 14 20:00:00 CEST 2016 Press Release

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Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Sept. 14, 2016 … This year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Lone Star Le Mans race will see BMW Team RLL arrive at the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, with BMW’s newest GT class competitor, the BMW M6 GTLM, ready for the penultimate race of the 2016 season. The team will be racing for its fourth podium finish of this year, still gunning for the first GTLM class victory for the new car. To date, the team has scored very promising results at three of North America’s classic circuits; second place at Sebring and a third place finish at both Watkins Glen and Road America.

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Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – Sept. 14, 2016 … This year’s IMSA WeatherTech
SportsCar Championship Lone Star Le Mans race will see BMW Team RLL
arrive at the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas, with BMW’s
newest GT class competitor, the BMW M6 GTLM, ready for the penultimate
race of the 2016 season. The team will be racing for its fourth podium
finish of this year, still gunning for the first GTLM class victory
for the new car. To date, the team has scored very promising results
at three of North America’s classic circuits; second place at Sebring
and a third place finish at both Watkins Glen and Road America.

Last season’s Lone Star Le Mans saw BMW Team RLL score the last of
three wins in the 2015 season with the BMW Z4 GTLM as Bill Auberlen
and Dirk Werner finished the season strongly, ultimately finishing a
close second in the driver’s championship.

The team closes the development season chapter of the M6 GLTM at this
weekend’s two-hour-and-forty-minute contest at COTA and the 10-hour
Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia in two weeks
time. As with any new racing car testing has been at the top of the
engineers list. The past two weeks following the Michelin GT Challenge
at VIRginia International Raceway at the end of August has seen the
team criss-cross the country to complete a very rigorous testing
schedule that included two days at Circuit of the Americas and one day
at Road Atlanta.

"We've had a pretty good record at COTA,” said Bobby
Rahal, Team Principal. “We were on pole a couple of years
ago with Joey Hand and then last year we won a great fuel strategy
race. We were able to defeat the faster Porsches on fuel strategy
which was fun. It's clear the M6 likes tracks with fast corners, which
of course Circuit of the Americas has a lot of so we should be
competitive. I'm hopeful that COTA will bring us another victory like
it did last year."

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM: “It's been
a bit of a tough start for the BMW M6 GTLM. We have been in position
to win a few races, but Lady Luck was not looking down upon us. We
have been on the podium a few times but have just missed the top step
and now hopefully at COTA it's time to bring home the victory.”

Dirk Werner, driver No. 25 BMW M6 GTLM: “Our testing
at COTA went quite well. We certainly made improvements to the car,
but this race - especially with the heat we usually have there this
time of the year - can make it very difficult. A development year is
always challenging because the progress you make does not always
immediately result in victories, but it is all part of moving the
program forward.”

John Edwards, driver No. 100 BMW M6 GTLM: “COTA is
always a tough race. Tire management will certainly be one of the keys
to success. Our recent testing has answered many of this year’s
remaining questions and I believe we may see some gains in the next
two races. Our podium at Road America has helped our spirit because
Lucas and I have not had much luck, but I’m confident our time is coming.”

Lucas Luhr, driver No. 100 BMW M6 GTLM: “Going into
the final two rounds of the season John and I are working really hard
to get a couple of good results for the No. 100 BMW M6. This season
has been one of the most up and down ones I have ever experienced in
America, with sadly more downs than ups. COTA is a track I like a lot
as it is very challenging - especially the higher speed corners. We
know we have the pace to be competitive in GTLM which is so close this
year, but pretty much anything that can go wrong has gone wrong for us.”

The Lone Star Le Mans takes the green flag at 12:35 p.m. ET Saturday,
Sept. 17 with the live broadcast beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX
Sports 2 and IMSA.tv. Follow BMW Team RLL on Twitter at @BMWUSARacing for
“from-the-pit-box” updates all weekend.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since
1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in
2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include
marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW
brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and
the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic
design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon
Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW
Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global
manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity
Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S.
through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 125 MINI passenger car
dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding
Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is
located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

The BMW Group

With its three brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is
the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility
services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production
and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network
in more than 140 countries.

In 2014, the BMW Group sold approximately 2.118 million cars and
123,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial
year 2013 was euro 7.91 billion on revenues amounting to approximately
euro 76.06 billion. As of 31 December 2013, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 110,351 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

BMW’s partner, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, based in Hilliard,
Ohio and co-owned by three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis
500 winner Bobby Rahal, former CBS Late Show host David Letterman and
Mi-Jack co-owner Mike Lanigan, has been competing for over two
decades. Prior to the start of their 25th season of competition in
2016, the team has compiled 37 victories, 49 poles, 144 podium
finishes, three series championships (1992, 2010, 2011) and claimed an
Indianapolis 500 victory (Buddy Rice in 2004). In 2009 the team joined
BMW of North America to campaign the new BMW M3 in the American Le
Mans Series. The following year the team won both the Manufacturer and
Team Championships in the GT category and swept all three GT titles -
Manufacturer, Team and Driver – in 2011. In 2012 the team finished
second in the Team Championship and third in the Manufacturer
Championship and in 2013, the team finished second in the Driver, Team
and Manufacturer Championship. The 2014 season brought a new challenge
with the creation of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the
team finished on the podium six times including four second-place
finishes. In 2015, the team earned three wins, two poles and a total
of eight podium finishes to finish second in the Manufacturer, Team
and Driver championships. Prior to the start of the 2016 season BMW
Team RLL had won 13 races, 20 poles and 57 podium finishes.